Surprise Hiccups
by Harnody
Summary: It's Manitoba Smith's birthday and Mike and his personalities have set up a very special theme for the Australian Survivalist. Meanwhile Svetlana gets the hiccups right before she shows Manitoba her biggest stunt yet! And guess what else? Everyone knows. How will they cure her hiccups? And will Manitoba figure out what her gift for him is? Find out!
1. Chapter 1: SURPRISE!

Svetlana woke up one morning and stretched her back. Everyone in Mike's head was still asleep, including Mike. Well almost everyone was asleep anyway. Manitoba woke up early to go on a brief 'adventure' around Mike's head with a time to beat. Svetlana got off her bed and made a few stretches. Obviously she was the most flexible alter of Mike's head so she has no worries when it comes to breaking her bones. Once she's done, she arranged her bed and checked her calendar.

"Da! Let's see vhat today is," she chirped. Upon looking at the calendar, her eyes widened and gasped. She tried to keep her voice to a minimum since everyone else was still asleep. "It is Mani's birthday!? Svetlana couldn't believe she almost forgot!" she cried as softly as possible. With Mike sleeping next door to her, he woke up overhearing her sudden surprise. He knocked at her door and opened it.

"Svetlana! Is everything okay?" he asked softly. Svetlana gasped and turned to look at the real persona. She pulled Mike in, peeked outside her room to see if anyone was awake and watching, and closed the door. "Svetlana! What are you-!"

"Shh! Shtop vith ze talking!"

"Why?"

"Coz! It's Manitoba's birthday today!" she whispered loudly. Thankfully it wasn't too loud. Mike was going to ask 'It is?' but he remembered it soon enough. "It sure is!"

"Svetlana forgot it vas his birthday today!" she said and began to sob.

"What are you talking about? You woke me up and pulled me into your room to tell me that. How could you forget it?" he asked in confusion.

"I only figured it out now! I vas so focused on doing gymnastics I forgot. I am such a horrible friend!" she sobbed hysterically.

"N-now now, Svetlana… Today has only just begun! You still have a lot of time to prepare for his gift. You found out it was today in a nick of time! Also, Manitoba's awake and-"

"HE IS!?" Svetlana panicked.

"Yes, but he's trying to move around my head because… I don't know actually." Mike placed his hand on his chin and began to think.

"As long as he gives enough time for Svetlana to give him his gift." While she continued to think, Svetlana raised her index finger with an idea. "Da! Svetlana has an idea!"

"Really!? What is it?" Mike asked.

"Zere has been zis move I've been trying to master for years! It's called ze Balance Beam!"

"The balance beam?"

"Yes! It has struck fear into ze hearts of all female gymnasts, including myself. To zis day, I still haven't mastered it. Zis could be ze day I can master it as Manitoba's gift!"

Mike smirked. "It sure sounds like you two have something to hide. Come on, let it out," he said.

Svetlana fidgeted with her fingers and blushed. "It vas a funny story really. You see vhen Manitoba and I vere younger, he saw me trying to master my Balance Beam for several times."

 ** _Flashback_**

 _Young Svetlana tried to balance herself on the beam. She struggled and tried to keep her balance straight. Even though she never feared heights, something about it made her feel uncomfortable. As practice, she stayed in her room and hung a long pole on the parallel walls. It was only six feet above the ground and the length was ten feet. She tried walking on it with her hands while doing assorted flips. She was struggling. Unaware to her, Manitoba watched from outside her room. 'She's amazing!' he thought._

 _His compliment was short lived as he saw Svetlana squeak and fall on the pillows below her. Manitoba gasped and pushed the door open. "Good blimey, Svetlana, are you awright!?" he asked worriedly. Svetlana started to cry in frustration until she realized she wasn't alone._

 _"Manitoba, vhat are you doing here!?" she whined._

 _"Hush now, sheila. Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?" he asked, holding and checking her arms and legs to see if they were fine. Despite the fact that it wasn't so high, he was still concerned. Svetlana blushed at Manitoba touching her and pulled herself away. "Svetlana is fine," she sniffed. "I am never going to get this right…" She hugged her knees and buried her face. Manitoba smiled softly and scooted towards her._

 _"Aw come on, you silly roo. I thought you were amazing… except for that part where you fell." Svetlana glared at him for saying that. "Okay, I misworded that. What I mean is, you really were amazing."_

 _Svetlana smiled at him weakly. "Thank you… but Svetlana isn't good enough to do it yet. She vants to be ze youngest gymnast to master it!"_

 _Manitoba put his arm around her placed his other hand over hers. "Svetlana, you're still growing. You're still a tad too young to master those moves in such a short time. But from what I saw, you keep getting better and better."_

 _Svetlana didn't want to accept the truth, but after what Manitoba had said, she couldn't help but believe he was right. "I guess so…"_

 _"Atta girl!"_

 _"But vhat if Svetlana gets second place if she does it in ze competition?" she asked._

 _"Win or lose, ya'll always be a champ to me, ya silly koala!" he promised her. Svetlana smiled at him sheepishly and rested her head on his shoulder._

 _"And if it makes ya feel better," he looked at her and she did the same. "If you master that move, I want to be the first one who sees it."_

 _Svetlana's eyes widened and felt them sparkle. "You vill? And you von't laugh at me if I mess up?"_

 _"Of course I won't! You know very well I can't do what you do. You're that special."_

 _"Pinkie promise?" she held out her littlest finger and waited for Manitoba's. The young Australian smirked, took her finger with his, and they both giggled. "Ye, pinkie promise."_

 ** _Flashback_**

"Aww! That was really sweet for both of you," Mike said in awe.

"Yes, but until zis day I still haven't mastered it," Svetlana said sadly.

"Well now could be the time! You can do it, Svetlana. I know you can!"

"Thanks Mike! Vait, vhat did you get for him?" she asked.

"Oh, I got him a new fedora. He'll love it for sure!" Mike answered excitedly. "I also got him a jar of vegemite."

"Da! Manitoba does love hats! And… vegemite?"

"He does. And yeah, I'm not sure what vegemite is but I heard from him that it tastes glorious – especially with buttered toast. So that must be a good thing!" Mike walked to the door. "Anyways, I better go get changed so we can have breakfast. We're all going to plan the party together."

"Yay! Svetlana is very excited for zis!"

As Mike left, Svetlana searched through her closet and took out a stuffed animal. It was a koala sewn by her. She didn't know how to sew and ended up wounding her hands at the process. And because the wounds weren't that serious, she didn't bandage them and they blended with her tanned skin. Even though she finished it a week ago, and it took her a month, she saved it as Manitoba's gift in advanced.

"Maybe I'm not so forgetful after all."

* * *

"Alright, gang, we have at least three hours to prepare for Manitoba Smith's birthday party. Does everyone have their gifts?" Mike asked everyone.

"Aye!" answered Vito. "I got him a new set of these knuckle rings. Not only are they fashionable, they can surely pack a punch!" He tested them out on Mal, who grabbed his hand and glared. "Don't even think about it."

"Fine, you party pooper."

"I got him one of these cell phone doohickie things. Dang kids and their so called technology," Chester complained.

"Mal, what did you get for Manitoba?" Mike asked.

"I got him a new lasso. Nothing too serious," he answered blankly. "I once used it for strangling people. But now that I changed, I have no use for it."

"Excellent and I'm glad you think that! I bought him a new fedora and a jar of vegemite – whatever it is. Now all we have to do is-"

"Ey yo, what's Svetlana's gift?" Vito interjected.

"Svetlana's gift is not ready yet," Svetlana answered.

"Then what is it?" Chester asked.

"It iz a performance by moi!" she answered again.

"Cool, show us!" Vito requested. Svetlana shook her head and looked away. "Sorry, it's for Manitoba to see first."

"Wow, picky much?" mumbled Vito.

"Okay, that's enough now!" Mike interrupted. "As I was saying, I think our theme for Manitoba's party should be in the Australian outback!"

"You mean Ulu… uh, no, Ulu… eh? Uluru? Yeah! That's the one!" Vito guessed.

"Uh huh!"

"That's a great idea. Obvious, but great," Mal complimented.

"And to think we could have done that years ago," Chester grumbled.

"Da! Vill zere be kangaroos and koalas and all ze giant plateau in a desert?" Svetlana asked.

"Yeah! Of course the animals won't be real but stuffed animals are the closest we can go for," Mike said.

"But where _do_ we get the stuffed animals?" Mal asked. Mike answered his question by pulling out a box full of Australian stuffed toys. There were also several figurines, wallpapers and replicas of Australian flora and fauna. "These'll do the trick!"

"Whoa, where'd you get those?" Vito asked.

Mike grinned. "I did a little grocery shopping with Zoey and Cam the night before. I even asked her to give me today off with you guys so we can prepare."

"Zen let's shtop vith ze talking and start building!" Svetlana squealed.

Everyone went on and prepared for Manitoba Smith's birthday. Chester was in charge of writing on the banner, Svetlana was the one who put the stuffed animals into place, Vito was in charge of the hanging decorations and the wallpaper, and Mike and Mal were helping each other move the heavy objects into place. Everything turned out perfectly. And with teamwork, they finished decorating in less than an hour.

"We did it, you guys!" Mike exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Everyone else exclaimed.

"I hope I'm doing a decent job with the whole birthday thing," Mal muttered. Mike patted his back knowingly. "You're doing great, Mal! That's what being good is all about." He checked his list and ticked off the decorations.

"Next is the cake!"

"Ooh, Svetlana vants to do zis!" volunteered the Russian gymnast.

"Not so fast, Svetlana! I want you to master your routine for Manitoba. Chester and I—"

"Dag nab it I don't know how to bake, you salami head!" Chester interrupted.

"Okay… Mal, Vito and I will bake the cake. In the meantime, you master that move," Mike told her. Svetlana looked at him unsurely and nodded. "I understand. I vill make it ze best performance Manitoba has ever seen!" And with that, she skipped away.

"Ey yo, how do we make a cake anyway?" Vito asked.

"Simple! Zoey gave me the instructions and we'll follow that instead," Mike answered. "Come on, boys, let's get baking!"

"I suck at baking but I'll try," Mal said.

"I'm with ya bro." Vito followed behind.

* * *

In her room, Svetlana practiced her most difficult stunt ever: The Balance Beam. Everything was all set up by her. She pretended that Manitoba was there watching along with the rest of the alters. But she promised Manitoba Smith she would show him first. She took a deep breath and started to rehearse. Even pretending that Manitoba was there made her feel nervous.

"Svetlana vill now perform ze most difficult trick ever! Ze Balance Beam!" She jumped onto the pole and walked on it with both hands. As she moved forward she did several flips with a mixture of a few ballet moves. "I vill now perform ze back handspring!" As she jumped from her current position to perform the said move, something got in her way.

" ***hiccup***!" She lost her balance and fell to the floor with a loud thud. "Ouch!" She moaned in pain and tried to sit up. Chester rushed into her room after hearing the noise. "Alright, you ninny, what crazy shenanigan did you do this time?"

"I di- ***hiccup*** not do any ***hiccup*** zing!" she tried explaining. Chester's eyes widened as if he's heard her hiccup for the first time. "I didn't know you had the hiccups!"

Svetlana covered her mouth and blushed embarrassedly. As a matter of fact she does get the hiccups. Nobody heard her because she tried too hard to get rid of it. It always got in the way of her routines. And usually trying too hard worked for her. She refused to say a word. Chester started to leave the room.

"No, Chester! You mustn't ***hiccup*** tell ze ***hiccup*** others!" she begged. Chester chuckled and shook his head. "Relax, I'm going to get you a glass of water. In the meantime, try holding your breath." He left.

Svetlana followed Chester's orders and held her breath for as long as she could. It was only a matter of time before

 ***hiccup***

"Ah! I did it again!" she said before hiccupping more. She covered her mouth because of how silly she sounded. That was the reason why she never told anyone. It was strange. Usually holding her breath worked. After a while, Chester came back with a glass of water. "Here you go, kiddo."

Svetlana took the glass and glugged every drop of water in it. Then she held her breath at the same time after swallowing it. She hiccupped again.

"Oh! It's no use! Svetlana can't perform like zis- ***hiccup*"** she cried. "Of all times why - ***hiccup* -** now?"

Chester just stared at her and smiled. "Now, now, don't get all frustrated over that. That's my job! It'll go away eventually."

Svetlana hiccupped again. "Vhen!?"

"I don't know! That ain't my body," Chester said grumpily.

"Please - ***hiccup*** \- promise Svetlana you von't tell?" she begged solemnly. Chester rolled his eyes and patted her head. "Sure… just make sure you don't do it in front of all of them to see."

Svetlana gave Chester a hug before hiccupping again. "Oh zank you! Svetlana feels so grateful!"

"Yeah, yeah, now let me go!" Svetlana released Chester and took a deep breath, before hiccupping again. "I can do zis!"

* * *

"Okay, this was so not what I had in mind," said Mike. Vito and Mal looked at the cake before them. It wasn't as perfect as they wanted it to be, but it was close enough.

"Well, at least the frosting is readable," commented Vito.

"And the layering wasn't too bad," Mal added.

"Maybe we should've let Svetlana do this," muttered Mike.

"And guess who's fault that is," Mal groaned. Mike looked down with guilt.

"Alright what's going on in here?" Chester asked, walking into the kitchen. "Egad!" He exclaimed. In all honesty, the cake wasn't bad at all. Chester was just very judgemental when it comes to desserts. "I bet my wife could do better than that!"

"You have a wife?" Vito asked astonishingly.

"If I had one."

"Okay that's enough! Gentlemen, we put a lot of hard work into making this cake. And Chester, this cake isn't for you. It's for Manitoba. And besides, it doesn't look bad at all. Right guys?" said Mike. Vito and Mal looked at him and nodded sheepishly.

"Now all it needs is some of this vegemite… or whatever it's called!" Vito said, taking out the vegemite from the fridge.

"Vito! That's for Manitoba alone. We can't just put that on a cake! It's for toast," Mike argued.

"Says who?"

"Says the jar! And Manitoba might've thought of the same thing."

"Who knows! Maybe cake with vegemite might not be such a bad idea." Vito opened the jar and took a teaspoonful of the vegemite. Then he spat it out. "Gah! That was way too salty for the Vito! How can Manitoba eat this crap?"

"Congratulations, you ruined a perfect gift, you whippersnapper!" Chester scolded.

"Yeah! And it's not crap!" Mike protested. "Maybe some things don't go well on its own. And if you're saying it's salty, then I wouldn't recommend it for cake!"

"Salty cake? I think you salami heads have lost your marbles!" Chester snapped. Mal remained silent until he snatched the jar. "Great, now you left a hole in it. Way to go, Vito," he said.

"What? I was curious!"

"And curiosity killed the cat," deadpanned Mal. "You could've at least waited until Manitoba got it."

"I wait for nothing—Ow!" yelped Vito as Chester hit his head with his cane.

"Shut your putrid trap and step away from the vege-whatcha-ma-call-its!" Chester warned. Vito rolled his eyes and stepped away from Mal, who held the jar.

"Maybe you should keep this elsewhere," Mal said to Mike. Mike nodded and kept the jar in his pocket. "Ow man, we don't have time to wrap the gifts! Chester, why didn't you do it?" Mike said.

"You never told me to do that. Dang kids and their presents I swear. You're all teenagers dag nab it!"

"Still, we want it to be a surprise! Where were you anyway?"

"I checked on Miss Goody Two Shoes after she thudded on the floor, you ninny!"

"You mean Svetlana? Svetlana got hurt!? Oh gosh! Is she okay?" Mike said worriedly.

"Of course she's okay. She was probably just nervous," Chester lied. It was true on Svetlana's part though.

"I-I should go check on her," said Mike. Before he could leave, Chester blocked his way. "Who asked you, ninny?"

"Chester, get out of my way."

"Ey yo, you can't talk to an old man like that!" Vito interjected.

"Why won't you let me see her anyway?" Mike asked.

"She's rehearsing and no ding-a-ling is going to watch her before birthday boy does," Chester said strictly. "Are we clear on that or do I have to hit you?"

Mike sighed. "Yes. Sorry, Chester."

"Dang right you should be! Now make a new cake before-"

They all heard the front door open and heard familiar footsteps walking in. "Hello? Any of you mates up yet?" said an Australian accented voice.

Mal's eyes widened. "Speak of the devil…"

"No time! We have to get everything done fast. He's here!" Mike said, now in panic mode.

"Yeah, yeah, we know that," Chester said nonchalantly.

"Chester, go fetch Svetlana and meet us in the living room. Mal, stall Manitoba until we get ready. But make sure he doesn't' see you. Can you do that?" Mike ordered.

"Whatever," said Chester as he left the kitchen to find Svetlana. Meanwhile, Mal grinned deviously at the idea. "You called the right person for this job. I won't let you down." And with that, he disappeared and went on to stop Manitoba without getting caught.

"Vito, you bring the rest of the snacks into the living room while I bring in the cake," Mike said lastly. Vito smirked and nodded. "I'm on it, bro!"

Meanwhile, Chester barged in Svetlana's room, causing Svetlana fall yet again. "Oh…" she moaned helplessly. Her hiccups were gone at the moment after ten minutes of holding her breath. She was sure it would stay gone until the day ended. Or was it still there somehow?

"Enough dilly dallying! He's here," Chester announced. Without warning, Svetlana released an ear splitting scream and it echoed throughout the whole house. Chester could have sworn he grew deaf.

"Shh!" He grabbed her wrist and moved her out of the room and into the living room.

Manitoba heard her scream from his room. Instantly he was in panic mode. "Svetlana!" Before he could reach the door, Mal barricaded it with a chair. Manitoba grunted and tried shoving the door open. "What the-?!"

On the other side, Mal leaned against the wall while reciting his usual whistle, making it too soft for Manitoba to hear. He felt his pocket buzz and noticed a message from Mike saying everyone's ready. He swiftly kicked the chair and made a run for it. In his room, Manitoba took a few steps back and prepared to barge into his door. He screamed and opened it as if it was never barricaded from the outside. All that force made him slam into the wall. "Ah…" he grunted in pain. "Awright, which one of you bloody dingoes did that!?"

"Cooee!" called a voice from the hallway. Manitoba tilted his head. "Mike?" He followed the voice as it got louder. And soon enough he was lured into the living room.

"What the heck is going on?"

 ***Pop*!**

Confetti came out of nowhere and on his head. The lights switched on and Manitoba stood in front of an Australian themed decorated room filled with fake animals, an authentic wallpaper, snacks and a rushed-looking birthday cake. His entire family stood right in front of him and screamed.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MATE!" they all said in an attempted Australian accent.

"Hip hip?" Mike started.

"Hooray!" Everyone else followed.

"Hip hip?"

"Hooray!"

They all gave a surprised Manitoba Smith a hug. Snapping out of his senses, he grew a wide smirk and chuckled. "Aw, shucks! You shouldn't have!"

* * *

 **Yeah, I'm gonna end it there. What is this you ask? I have no idea. This idea came to mind and I thought yeah why not write it? I'm as busy as hell gets and this is what I did while I procrastinated. This isn't finished yet and I'm going to cut the chase there. I don't know why but I find it fun writing about Mike and his personalities.**

 **I would keep Mal in character here but he's trying to be good… and if not good then devious at some points.**

 **I loved portraying Chester because let's face it, he's hilarious.**

 **If anything gets in Svetlana's way, she does her best to get rid of it: especially hiccups. As for Balance Beam, it's a real gymnastics move made by female gymnasts only.**

 **I don't know much about Australia, but the well-known location of Uluru got me thinking it would be a great theme to celebrate Manitoba's party, along with kangaroos, koalas, wallabies and vegemite.**

 **Every personality has a different birthday depending on when they were first triggered. Say Mike triggered them one by one. And they were born. So if he triggered Manitoba on one point in his life, that will be Manitoba Smith's birthday. Or something along those lines... Now this birthday fic reminds me of my friend, Applauze's, birthday gift, I Know My Science. Dag nab it I'll get that done...!**

 **I'll have to work on Vito's character. Other than the fact that he's hot and hot headed, I'm still getting to know his character more.**

 **More Svetoba is on the way because it needs more love. I don't know how I got to love this. Of course, I love ZoKe more.**

 **As for the rest of my stories, Dork Squad will be releasing a new chapter soon, and I Know My Science is currently struggling with completion. Total Drama Mastermind has yet to be published. And the rest are still on hiatus. Enough said.**

 **Well you know what to do. Anyone who gives me flames will be burned alive. Pfft, nah. That was just an expression.**


	2. Chapter 2: A New Discovery

"Happy Birthday, buddy!" Mike greeted once more as he patted the fellow explorer's back.

Manitoba looked around the living room. It was designed as the Australian outback, just like he wanted. There was a banner above him that said 'Happy Birthday!', stuffed animals sitting on fake trees, small plants, or on the floor, and a table with snacks and what appeared to be a cake made for him. He smiled genuinely at the alters. "You blokes really are something, eh?" he chuckled.

"What can I say? We're your bros and we're awesome, you know," answered Vito. He nudged Mal's arm. "Right, Mal?"

Mal sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and smirked. "Yeah."

"Alright ladies enough with the sappy talk. I'm hungry!" Chester complained. Manitoba chuckled and nodded. "I'm with ya, mate! Let's go grab some grub."

As he saw Svetlana, his eyes grew with worry as he ran to her. "Svetlana! I heard you scream earlier."

"Y-you did!?" Svetlana stammered, blushing with embarrassment.

"Everyone heard you. Heck, I think you nearly broke my eardrums!" scolded Chester.

"We heard you screaming from the kitchen. A-and Chester said you hit the floor in your room! Are you okay?" Mike pointed out.

"Wait, what!?" Manitoba exclaimed and turned to the gymnast. Vito and Mal just stared curiously. Svetlana blushed harder. "I-It's okay, you guys! Svetlana is fine. I screamed because I panicked knowing Manitoba vas here. Und I fell on ze floor because…"

Chester's eyes widened knowingly. _'I knew she'd beat me to it!'_

"Because what?" Vito repeated as a question. Everyone else just stared.

"I vas a klutz!" she admitted.

"You… were a klutz," Mike repeated incredulously. Chester face palmed himself. Manitoba was confused because Svetlana was _never_ clumsy. Or so he believed she wasn't.

"Da, that's it! Anyvay, I'm hungry. Does anyone vant snacks und cake?" she said, completely changing the subject.

"Um… okay then!" agreed Mike

"Step aside, homies, I get first dibs!" Vito said as he shoved Mike arrogantly.

"Let the birthday boy go first," Mal insisted.

"Aw, thanks ya dingoes," said the cocky survivalist as he stepped forward.

"Uh uh, no way am I chewing my false teeth on that thing!" Chester snapped. Vito went behind Chester and gave him a push. "Don't be an old man, Chester!" he said.

"I am an old man, you ninny! Now stop pushing me!" Chester screamed as he continuously hit Vito's head with his cane. Ignoring the pain, Vito continued to push.

Everyone took a good look at the cake before them. It was a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, with words that say happy birthday to Manitoba Smith. It looked a bit sloppy yet the taste never changed.

"You call this a cake?" Chester complained again.

"Vill you shtop vith ze insult?! I think it looks outstanding!" said Svetlana.

"Thanks for being honest," Mal said sarcastically. Svetlana glared at the formerly evil alter. "Svetlana does not lie!" she protested.

"Enough with the blue, you guys," Manitoba interjected. "It's not the most attractive one, but if it's made by you blokes, I'm taking it! Ta."

"Uh… ta?" Mike asked.

"It means thank you."

"Oh! Cool!"

Mal lit one candle and smirked. "Make a wish," he said almost deviously. Manitoba narrowed his eyes at him. Mal cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "What? That's just how I talk nowadays."

"Makes sense." He smirked, took a deep breath and blew the flame away. Everyone but Chester clapped, cheered and howled for their Australian friend.

"Dang kids and their birthday parties. You're all teenagers dag nab it!"

"Yes but ve love to be young again," Svetlana objected. Manitoba sliced the cake and offered one piece to his family. Before he could give a slice to Chester, Chester put out the hand and glared. "No dice for me, birthday boy!"

"Suit yourself, oldie." Manitoba got the last slice, with the candle on it, for himself. "Dig in, mates! After this, I can smoke up the barby for you all! How about that?" he said. Everyone agreed and laughed heartily as they ate their snacks. Manitoba took out a grill from his room and placed barbecue skewers on them. Everyone enjoyed the Australian culture he shared with them. After a while, Mike went to the table and grabbed a paper bag. "Manitoba?"

Manitoba, who was having a chat with Vito, turned to the original persona. "Yeah mate?"

"Here's your present!" he answered, handing Manitoba the bag. Manitoba's eyes widened and he grinned. "Really? Oh you shouldn't have!" He took the bag and opened it. His smile widened as he saw a black fedora and a jar of vegemite.

"You got these… for me?" he muttered.

"Well of course! It is your birthday after all," Mike answered. Manitoba smiled and held his hand out. "Gimme five, ya cobber!"

Mike smiled and returned the supposed high five. "No problem, dude!"

Manitoba replaced his old fedora with the new one. He also took out the jar of vegemite and began to open it. "Crikey, I haven't had me one of these in ages!" Looking inside, he gave everyone a death glare. "Awright which one of you bloody mongrels spooned my vegemite?"

Vito raised his hand bravely. "I did, yo. And it stinks!"

"Oi now, Vegemite happens to be the best thing I ever had in my life, ya dipstick!" Manitoba snapped.

"It's as salty as the ocean! Especially when you eat it on its own- OW!" Vito screamed as he received a blow on the head.

"You have me spewin like a volcano there, mate! Vegemite SHOULDN'T be eaten on its own, you dimwit!" Manitoba snapped.

"I told you!" Mike shouted and crossed his arms in agreement and frustration. Vito shrugged and pretended he didn't know anything. "Fine whatever you say, Indiana Jones. Oh, speaking of which…" He rummaged through his pocket and gave Manitoba a set of rings. "These are for you!"

Manitoba looked at them unsurely. "I ain't gonna get hitched with you am I? I'll have you know I'm as straight as a line!"

Vito glared at the explorer. "What? NO! Have you gone loco? These are just for show, you know for hitting on the ladies and packing a punch on any goomba."

"So they're like brass knuckles?"

Vito nodded. "Yup! Perfect for a Casanova such as yourself."

Manitoba put them on and closed his fist, smirking smugly. "Not bad… Thanks mate!"

"No problemo, me bud! Ey yo, try hitting someone with them."

 ***SMACK***

"OW!" yelped Vito. "Not on me, you idiot!"

"Whoops." Manitoba checked out Svetlana and walked towards her. He placed his ringed hand around her and smirked flirtatiously while looking her in the eye.

"Gidday beaut. Ya dig the new rings? I can give one to you if ya know what I mean." he said while showing off his new rings and winking at her. Svetlana placed her hand over her mouth and giggled in response. Her cheeks were red and she slightly shivered in delight. Mike and Vito burst out laughing while Mal and Chester smirked teasingly.

"Hey, Mr. Casanova, I got you something as well," Chester interrupted. Manitoba released his rm, much to Svetlana's disappointment, and turned to the old man. "Another prezzy?"

Chester rolled his eyes. "Sure. Here you go." He threw a phone and Manitoba caught it cautiously. He gasped. "This… it is! It's that MyPhone 6 I was looking for!" he said elatedly and looked at Chester. "How did you get this?"

"I asked Mike to get it for me using my money. And now you owe me a thousand bucks!" Chester joked.

"Oh come on, mate, don't do this to me on my big day," Manitoba complained.

"I was just kidding, you little whippersnapper!" Chester admitted as he ruffled with Manitoba's head. Knowing it was his turn, Mal walked up to the Australian survivalist with his hands behind his back.

"Hey," he started.

"Hello. How are you?" Manitoba answered.

"I ugh got you something as well," he said, unsure of what to say.

"Come on, you silly dingo, bark it out," Manitoba replied with a grin. With slight hesitation, Mal pulled out his hands and gave Manitoba his own lasso. "Here. I want you to have this. Back in Juvie, I used to torment others with this. But now, I want you to keep it since I have no use for it anymore. I-I'm sorry… especially for barricading the door against you earlier." He gave Manitoba the gift and turned around with guilt.

Manitoba looked at the rope he now held. He always wanted that lasso… not for killing people with it of course. He smiled warmly and tapped Mal's shoulder. Turning around, Mal noticed that Manitoba offered him a fist bump. And he knew Mal was the one who temporarily locked him inside his own room. Who else would be cruel enough to do that? He forgave him. "Thanks mate."

Mal stared at this, smiled, and returned the fist bump. "No problem. So, you don't hate me?"

"Well not anymore. You may be good now but there's still a little bit of evil left in there."

"Really?" Mal asked nervously.

"Sure, but I like how you use it for pranks and other devious ideas that don't cost anybody's life," Manitoba said. Mal smirked. "Ha, I'm never gonna change _that_ side of me," he pointed out.

"Good on ya, mate."

Svetlana looked down sadly. She was the only one who hasn't given him a _complete_ gift. Sure she has a 'horribly' sewn koala bear, but she wanted to give Manitoba a gift they both wanted to show to each other for so long: Svetlana's Balance Beam. Manitoba saw her sad face and walked up to her. "What's the matter, sweetheart?" he asked soothingly.

"Huh? Oh! Nothing is wrong. Svetlana is okay." She looked anywhere but his face. Manitoba smiled softly and patted her back. "It's okay, sheila. I don't need a prezzy to complete my day. I have yo—"

"Vhat? No! Svetlana has a gift for you. It's just zat…" Svetlana interrupted and blushed madly. Manitoba backed away in surprise. "You're not ready to show it yet?" he guessed.

"No! Svetlana vill show you. Come!" She took his hand and pulled him with her.

"Whoa!" Manitoba yelped as Svetlana dragged him to her room. Upon reaching the doorway, Svetlana released her crush's hand.

"Are you ready for ze surprise?" she said nervously. The alters tagged behind and stopped before them. Knowing the surprise is in Svetlana's room, Vito smirked deviously at her.

"Svetlana you sly dog you!" he teased. Manitoba and Svetlana blushed madly. "Uh, Svet—"

"IT'S NOT THAT, YOU PERV- ***hiccup*** " Svetlana got cut off by something she never wanted to feel again for the day. Everyone gasped in shock. Svetlana blushed even harder and covered her mouth. Then she hiccupped again.

"Oh no… that can't be good," Chester mumbled. He felt sorry for her.

"Svetlana… was that a hiccup?" Mike asked, his eyes bulging.

"Shtop vith ze - ***hiccup*** \- talking! Leave Svetlana alone!" Svetlana cried as she ran into her room and slammed the door in their faces. All the boys glared at Vito.

"Don't look at me! I don't trigger no hiccups!"

"You probably made her nervous, Vito," Mike assumed.

"You're way better at inflicting pain than I am," mocked Mal although it wasn't entirely true.

"Okay shut up! I didn't cause it! Okay?" Vito protested.

"Don't blame him, mates," Manitoba interposed. "It's my fault. I must've pressured her or something."

"Yeah, plus it ain't the first time I heard it," blurted out Chester. Then his eyes bulged and he gulped after slipping a secret. "Oh… I shouldn't have said that."

"Chester…" Mike said sternly.

"When did you first hear her?" Manitoba asked.

"Oh you know… while you three whippersnappers were making that atrocious cake."

"And you didn't tell us!?" Mike said angrily.

"She begged me to keep it a secret. And I win over her so yeah!" Chester cheered. "Then again, I feel sorry for her."

"I'll go talk to her. You mates step back a little." Manitoba knocked and opened the door, looking around to see if his treasure was in there somewhere.

"Svetlana? You in here, sheila?"

"Go avay," he heard her whimper. And then he heard a hiccup. He found the sound of her hiccups to be rather cute. Unintentionally, he wanted to believe it was her gift to him. Hiccups – what an odd gift. He looked at the side of her bed and saw her back facing him. He saw what appeared to be a pole and several pillows were on the floor. He tried his best not to step on them and sat next to the Russian Gymnast.

"You know I can't do that to a crying beauty like you," he said, attempting to flirt and cheer her up.

"Well - ***hiccup* -** Svetlana vants to be alone," she sniffed.

"Why?"

"So that nobo - ***hiccup*** \- dy can hurt me," she whispered softly. There was brief silence between them. "You know I would never hurt you."

"Yes you **\- *hiccup* -** vould. You're probably laughing inside right now."

"I don't find your hiccups funny, Svetlana. I never even heard them until now. I even wished I heard them first instead of Chester," he admitted.

"If they weren't **\- *hiccup* -** funny, then vhat did you th - ***hiccup*** \- ink of it?"

"What do I think of it? Well then I suggest you call a doctor because I swear, you're killing me with 'cute'. That's right you heard me!" Manitoba looked away, blushing.

"You think the- ***hiccup*** \- y are cute?"

The Aussie rubbed the back of his head and lowered his fedora. "S-sure… if ya put it that way. I was stuffed when I first heard you. She'll be right, love. Your hiccups are downright adorable. Remember that," he said softly.

Svetlana blushed after hearing that comforting confession. It was as if he was treating her like she was his own.

"Thank y – ***hiccup* -** ou," she said. "But Sve- ***hiccup*** \- does not like zis! It's very dis- ***hiccup*-** distracting!"

"I feel ya, sheila. Hiccups are a pain. Hmm," Manitoba thought for a moment. He had the idea of curing her, but she felt as if she was getting in the way of celebrating his birthday. And then it hit him. He stood up and helped her up. "Come on, our mates and I are going to rid you of your hiccups."

"No, it's okay. Svetlana thinks she might get in ze vay of your birthday," she declined as expected from her. Manitoba smirked. "I knew you were gonna say that."

The Australian Explorer opened the door, unknowingly slamming the other four personas' faces to the ground. "Attention mate- what the bloody hell are you doing out here?"

"Ow!" Mal exclaimed.

"Hey! That freaking hurt!" Vito added.

"Dag nab it you hit my working eye!" Chester scolded and rubbed his old, pained face. "You kids and your doors these days!"

"Uh, we can explain!" stammered Mike.

"Oi now… were you kookaburras eavesdropping?" Manitoba growled. Svetlana was about to say something, but her hiccups interrupted her so she remained silent.

"We're sorry! We didn't want you two to argue so we tried to think of what to say if you came storming out of the room like that," Mike apologized.

"I think you mean what _you_ tried to think of what to say," corrected Vito.

"Shto- ***hiccup*** \- I HATE ZIS!" Svetlana whined. It frustrated her because this was the longest time she's ever had hiccups. It might last even longer if she doesn't do something about it. Vito snorted, trying to hold back his laughter. Mal gave him a blow on the head while Mike and Chester glared.

"I have an idea. Let's all play a game!" Manitoba suggested.

Svetlana hiccupped before saying, "A game?"

"That's right, sheila!"

"Ooh, I love games!" Mike said.

"I don't!" Chester deadpanned.

"How do we play?" Vito asked.

"What's the goal?" added Mal.

"Our goal is to get rid of Svetlana's hiccups. Whoever has the best idea of getting rid of them first wins!" explained the survivalist.

"That… actually sounds like fun!" Mike said. "It's like we're having fun and helping Svetlana at the same time. It's perfect!"

Chester put his hand up. "If it's for Svetlana then I'm in."

"Count me in, bud! And I'm sorry for making fun at you," Vito apologized.

"I'm in. This should be interesting," Mal added.

Svetlana remained silent and held her hands together. Manitoba raised his hand with his usual smug grin and looked at her. "Are you in, sheila? It'll be fun! I promise."

The Russian Gymnast blushed and smiled shyly. Then she looked at everyone else and grinned. "Let's do it!" she said before hiccupping yet again.

* * *

 **I'm going to stop there for now. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! One of my favorite authors liked this and I'm happy! I'm also glad to receive advice from a fellow Aussie writer, OopsieDasi.**

 **I'm not going to focus on making friends here anymore. It's a waste of time and whenever I make an effort, nobody will say anything. But I'm happy I made a couple of friends. Screw it... if the forum doesn't reply to anything I try to say, that's their problem. From now on, I'll only go online to write stories and I don't care if I don't get many reviews whatsoever. That was the old me. And I am a dang good writer and I** ** _know_** **how to keep characters in character.**

 **But I hope I'm getting their characters right though. For me, hiccups either sound funny or cute, but mostly funny… even if it was my own. The next chapter is coming soon so don't forget to read and review! I'll get this story over and done with because**

 **a. It's a short story and**

 **b. I'm inspired… for now**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3: Finding A Cure

"Okay, gang it's time to come up with ideas on how to get rid of Svetlana's hiccups," Mike announced. "So, who wants to go first?"

"Hmm… well it's obvious water doesn't work," Chester thought.

"We'll never know. Maybe Svetlana needs to drink at a different pace. Let's go with your idea first, Chester," Mike said.

"Fine, but if I lose, then it's all your fault!" Chester warned. Mike took the warning and nodded. Then he turned to Svetlana. "Svetlana, your first challenge is to drink water."

"But water is - ***hiccup*-** not enough," Svetlana protested.

"You were probably drinking too fast to get it over with." Mike gave Svetlana a jug of water. "Here, try drinking this _slowly_."

"Don't drink too fast, Twinkletoes. That's my job," said Vito. Svetlana glared at him and looked at her glass. "You sure zis vill cure **\- *hiccup* -** ze hiccups?" she asked unsurely.

"Trust us! Water never fails," Mike said positively. Svetlana smiled with anticipation and started to gulp down every drop as slow as she could. Meanwhile, Vito,Mal and Manitoba were cheering for her in sync, saying "Go! Go! Go! Go!"

Finally she finished her drink and exhaled deeply. Then without warning, she blew the boys away with a loud burp. The result left their hair look as if it was blown back.

"No! My hair, my beautiful hair! It's ruined!" Vito cried.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Mike screamed.

"Crikey! What a beauty!" Manitoba said excitedly. His fedora was blown away.

"How could she burp like that?" Mal asked himself.

"Do it again, I wasn't looking!" Chester demanded, who simply covered his ears and looked away after Svetlana finished her water. Svetlana moaned exhaustedly and tried to breathe. Then she noticed that her hiccups were no longer there.

"Hey, I think it - ***hiccup***!"

Or so she thought.

"And I thought the burping would end it," sighed Mal.

"Aw man – OW! CHESTER!" Mike yelped as Chester hit his head with his cane.

"This is all your fault, you salami head!" Chester scolded.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! Maybe water isn't such a good idea," Mike admitted. Mal on the other hand had a devious idea. "I know a way."

"You do?" Manitoba asked.

"Yeah."

"Hold zat thought for - ***hiccup*** \- Svetlana needs to use ze bath - ***hiccup*** \- room," interrupted Svetlana. After drinking an entire jug of water, she could hardly hold it in.

"Going to the dunny I see? Awright take your time," said the explorer. Before Svetlana ran to the toilet, she noticed Manitoba's fedora on the floor and picked it up.

"Mani, you dropped your fedora!" she said sweetly and put it on the boy's head.

"Um, I'm right here, sweetheart," Manitoba corrected. Svetlana realized she placed the fedora on Mike's head instead. The real persona tried to hold back his laughter.

"Yeah, I know, without Manitoba Smith's fedora, we're practically twins!" Mike laughed.

"The only difference is our accents, eh mate?" said the fellow explorer.

"Yeah."

"Vell, I - ***hiccup*** \- like you better vith ze fedora on," Svetlana commented as she placed the hat back on top of Manitoba's head.

"Thanks, sheila," flirted the explorer.

"No problem. I'll be right back!" Svetlana giggled and ran to the bathroom straightaway.

"Crikey, she's faster than a jack rabbit going on a shopping spree!" Manitoba complimented. He turned to Mal. "Now then, what were you suggesting?" he asked.

"Why not use the elements of surprise?" Mal suggested with an evil grin.

"Ey yo, that's what I was thinking," Vito said, returning the evil grin with another evil grin.

"You ninnies are insane! Back in my day we would drink several jugs of water and poof! Them hiccups never came back," Chester complained.

"Well this ain't exactly 'your day' now is it?" deadpanned Manitoba.

"As long as I'm here then it is!" Chester argued.

"Surprise Svetlana? How are we gonna do that?" Mike asked, returning to the subject.

Mal grinned and glanced at Vito. "Leave that to us."

"Awright, but if you so just scare her to death, I'll feed you to the Tasmanian devils. Got it?" warned Manitoba.

"Don't worry, we won't touch your girlfriend. If anything, we won't scare her to death either. We're just gonna give her a little scare," Mal said in his usual deep tone voice.

Manitoba blushed and glared. "G-girlfriend!? Why I ought a-"

"Let the whippersnappers go. After all, they're the whippiest whippersnappers that have ever snapped the-" Chester interjected.

"I think we get the point, Chester," Mike said. Manitoba stopped and crossed his arms frustratingly.

 _Those dingoes better not lay a finger on my sheila._

Meanwhile, Svetlana flushed the toilet and went to the sink to wash her hands. She was still hiccupping occasionally, much to her annoyance.

"Stupid **\- *hiccup* -** hiccups," she murmured. All of a sudden, she heard a loud bang on the door. She shrieked and sank to the floor in a matter of seconds while trying to protect herself.

"WHO IZ ZERE? Ma - ***hiccup*** \- al? Mani?" she questioned. There was no response. She closed her eyes and heard the door slowly creak open. She froze in terror. She could've sworn she locked the bathroom door. Then the door slammed shut. She immediately looked away from it and closed her now teary eyes. She was petrified.

"Calm down, Svetlana… You're proba - ***hiccup*** \- bably just imagining zings," she whispered to herself. Slowly she raised herself up to look at the mirror. Much to her surprise and terror, she noticed two dark figures' reflections staring at her. She swiftly turned around and saw the not-so-obvious figures staring at her from inches away.

"RAAAWR!" they both screamed. As expected, they were Mal and Vito. But Svetlana was too petrified to notice.

"AAAAHHHHH!"

 ** _SMACK!_**

 ** _SMACK!_**

"OW!" Mal and Vito fell to the ground in pain after Svetlana punched and ran past them while screaming for dear life.

"HELP! ZERE IS A MONSTER IN ZE BATHROOM!" she bawled. Finally she escaped the bathroom and searched for the other personas.

While waiting, Chester was asleep, Manitoba was anxiously pacing around the room, while Mike patiently waited for Vito and Mal to return. Then they heard Svetlana screaming, which woke Chester.

"Egad! Where just happened?" he shouted. Manitoba and Mike had looks of panic on their faces. "Svetlana!" Mike screamed.

"HELP!" Svetlana found them and threw herself on Manitoba.

"WHOA!" Manitoba yelped before she collapsed down on him. The Russian Gymnast held onto him tightly and shook him. The Australian Survivalist blushed at how close their faces were. Despite that, he tried to hold her comfortingly. "S-Svetlana! What's wrong, sheila!?"

"I saw two monsters in ze bathroom!"

"Uh… Svetlana," Mike interrupted and pointed behind her. Svetlana turned around and saw Vito and Mal entering the room while rubbing their faces.

"Okay, that wasn't such a good idea," Mal muttered.

"It would have been if she didn't smack us!" Vito retorted.

"You… YOU DID ZIS!?" Svetlana barked.

"Hey, it's all part of the plan, twinkletoes!" Vito said fearlessly.

"And I think you're cured!" Mal added.

"…Da? DA! Svetlana feels vell again!" Svetlana said victoriously.

"It worked?" Mike asked incredulously.

"It's about time!" Chester sighed.

"Good job, mates!" Manitoba offered a high five to the two troublemakers, who returned it.

"Now that that's gone, I can - ***hiccup!*** " Svetlana's face went gloom. The boys groaned in frustration.

"Oh come on!" Vito snapped exasperatingly.

"This is really starting to irk me up now," said Mal.

"Calm down everyone, the game's not over yet!" encouraged Mike. "In fact, I have an idea! But I'm not crazy about it. Group huddle, boys! Sorry, Svetlana, you'll have to set this one out for now."

Svetlana crossed her arms and glared. "Just because I'm a - ***hiccup* -** girl doesn't mean I can't **\- *hiccup*** \- join ze fun. Hmph!" The gymnast crossed her arms and walked away.

"So what's the idea, bro?" Vito asked.

"It better not be any of that sour food sucking or vinegar drinking. I tried that once and all it did was sting my tongue like acid!" Chester murmured.

"Okay, so when Zoey catches the hiccups, I always give her the same cure," whispered Mike.

"What is it?" asked Mal.

"I tickled her," Mike laughed softly. "Heck, she would laugh so hard her hiccups would stop! There's no way it could fail!"

"That… was actually what I thought of," muttered Manitoba.

"Yeah, just like when you agreed that drinking water _never_ fails," Chester said sarcastically.

"It will work! Trust me. But we can't let Svetlana know."

"Okay. Now that that's settled, all we need is someone to tickle her," Mal whispered. Then everyone looked at Manitoba Smith mischievously.

"Me?"

"Uh no, I was referring to that kangaroo over there," deadpanned Mal, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"We're counting on you, Manitoba!" whispered Mike.

"Yeah, ey. Plus you wouldn't let us lay a finger on your chick," Vito teased. Manitoba blushed and glared.

"She is **not** my chick! Shut ya gob and keep your pants on, you wily dingo! I'll do it," said the survivalist.

"Sure she's not… And good choice, birthday brat! Now go!" said Vito.

"Yeah! I don't wanna play this game forever," whined Chester.

"This game's pretty fun to be honest. We should do this again sometime," protested Mike.

"How about no?" Chester grumbled.

"I agree," said Mal. "I enjoyed surprising the daylights out of her."

"Not such a shabby idea after all," Vito added.

"I'll say. I'm having an awesome birthday thanks to you mates," Manitoba commented. "Awright, boys, let's do this!"

"Don't make it obvious you're going to tickle her. Try flirting with her or something to keep her clueless," Vito suggested.

"I'll try. If I go too far, whack me."

"With pleasure," said Mal.

They all broke out of the group huddle and faced the gymnast. Svetlana looked at them confusedly before hiccupping yet again.

"Vhat is everyone looking at?" she asked.

"Oh you know," Manitoba responded in a low, seductive tone. "My mates and I were talking and we thought of a brilliant idea on how to cure your little... uh… sickness."

As Manitoba slowly paced closer, Svetlana giggled nervously and uncomfortably while backing away. "Svetlana does not **-*hiccup*-** know vhat you are talking about."

"You don't have to, sheila. Now why don't you just be quiet…"

Svetlana stopped and felt the side of their sofa behind her. What were they planning!? If she took another step back, she would fall on the sofa with her crush on top. She felt cornered.

"And let the doctor do the talking," he purred.

"Ohhh this is gonna be good!" Vito said with anticipation.

"Vhat are you doing, Manitoba!?" Svetlana stammered before hiccupping again.

"Do you think he's going too far?" Mike whispered.

"Who cares? This is quite interesting for me," Chester whispered back.

"I'll say," Vito agreed, offering a high five. Chester simply glared, which killed the mood for Vito.

"I'll handle this," said Mal. The malevolent one stretched his knuckles and walked over to the pair.

"For real!? Don't ruin the fun, bro!" Vito argued. Mal ignored him and went on.

"Do you want to know what we dingos have planned for you? What _I_ have planned for you?" Manitoba asked slyly.

"If it is vhat I **\- *hiccup*** \- think it is, then I am not ready! Even if it is your - ***hiccup* -** birthday," Svetlana protested. Her face went completely red. Manitoba blushed furiously and distanced himself from her. "WAIT WHAT?! GOOD BLIMEY, THAT'S NOT WHAT I—"

 ** _SMACK!_**

"OW! What the bloody dingo was that for!?" Manitoba shouted at Mal, who hit him hard on the head.

"You looked like you were going too far. Just get on with it already," he said impatiently.

"Ey yo bro, not cool!" they heard Vito call out from afar.

"Dag nab it, you ruined the moment!" yelled Chester.

"Get on vith vhat!?" Svetlana stammered.

Manitoba sighed. "You're right. You know what? Screw it. Come here, sheila!"

Svetlana burst out laughing as Manitoba tickled her mercilessly. Losing balance, she fell on the sofa while Manitoba continued to tickle her.

"Stahahahahahp! Y-yoahha- you're killing me, Manny! Vhy are you doing zihihihihiz!?" she laughed uncontrollably. Manitoba grinned and laughed as well. "It's all part of the plan, sweetheart."

After ten minutes of nonstop tickling with Svetlana begging and crying of laughter, Manitoba finally managed to stop. Knowing he was on top of her, after they collapsed on the sofa, he pulled away and allowed her to sit up. He was having too much fun hearing her laugh. He should do that more often.

"So, how do you feel, sheila?" chuckled the explorer.

Svetlana tried to stop laughing and held her diaphragm. She laughed so hard she could have sworn she burst her guts out. She took deep breaths and sighed. "I... I… " she breathed.

Mike rushed to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water. "Here, maybe this will calm you down," he said softly. Svetlana smiled and took the glass. "Thanks, Mike."

"Deep breaths, kiddo," demanded Chester, who walked towards them. From behind the couch, Vito and Mal snuck up on her and jumped from behind.

"YO SVETLANA!" Vito yelled.

"Do you feel better yet?" Mal asked.

Shocked once again, Svetlana spat some of the water she drank on Manitoba's face, much to everyone's amusement. "Shtop scaring me like zat!" she yelled.

"Bleh!" gagged Manitoba. He glared at Vito and Mal. "You kookaburras are as cunning as a dunny rat!"

"Sorry, we can't help it!" joked Vito.

"It's in our blood," added Mal.

"You boys are in a heap of trouble because," Svetlana paused and remained silent. There was silence in the room and the boys looked at each other in confusion. Svetlana jumped from the couch with a grin. "My hiccups! Zey are gone!" she gasped.

"Really!?" Mike said excitedly.

"They better be gone, otherwise I'm gonna smack someone," Chester grumbled.

"Same goes for me," said Mal.

Several minutes passed and nothing happened. Everyone shared the same grin. "It really is gone! Svetlana is cured!" squealed the Russian Gymnast.

"All right!" cheered Mike as he and Mal high fived each other.

"Ba da bim baby!" added Vito.

"It's about time!" yelled Chester.

"Wait a minute," muttered Mal, observing the recent events. "Everything we did: the tickling… and the water… and Vito and me attempting to surprise you, all those combined cured you right off the bat!"

Mike thought for a moment and smiled. "You're right! We unknowingly used all our ideas in one go and it worked!"

"I can't believe it took you salami heads that long to figure it out!" said a frustrated Chester.

"That wasn't part of the plan. But it was worth it eh, sheila?" Manitoba said and gave Svetlana a brief hug. Letting go, Svetlana looked down with sudden sadness.

"What's the matter?" Mike asked.

"Nothing… it's just that, Svetlana feels awful for interrupting Manitoba's birthday. ," she sighed softly. Manitoba smiled genuinely and took both her hands in his.

"Are you kidding? This birthday has been the best in my life thanks to you cobbers! I felt rapped today! Cheers for that, ya dingos!" thanked Manitoba.

"I didn't understand half of what you just said," started Chester. "But ah what the heck. It was nothing."

Everyone went around Manitoba and gave him a group hug. "Happy Birthday, Manitoba Smith!" they all greeted once more before letting go of the hug.

"Cheers, mates."

"Don't forget zere is a finale!" said Svetlana.

"Is there?" Manitoba asked.

"Da! I think I'm ready to show you… but I don't know yet," she squeaked back.

"What was it you wanted to give me anyway? I haven't gotten a prezzy from you yet… not that I needed it," Manitoba wondered.

"He needs it all right," Vito whispered to Mike, who snickered and nodded.

"It vas supposed to be me performing ze balance beam for you," confessed Svetlana. Manitoba's eyes widened and he grinned. "No way! Did you finally master it?"

"I think so…" she said nervously.

"Oh, sheila! You remembered! When can I see you perform?"

"I don't know… it vas going to be tonight but I don't know if I'm ready yet."

"Okay, since when are you _not_ ready for anything?" questioned a skeptical Manitoba.

"Yeah," added Mike. "You're always ready when it comes to these sorts of things."

"Agreed," said Mal. "Plus we won't judge you for something we can't do."

"I'd judge her because it's like watching Mike wearing makeup while dancing on stage," deadpanned Vito. Everyone looked at him and glared, especially Mike. "What? It's who I am! I judge a lot," he said defensively.

"I don't need to judge because I'll fall asleep anyway!" added Chester.

"And to sum it all up, you only wanted Manitoba to be the first to see it, right?" Mike recalled.

Svetlana blushed and giggled. "Y-yes… Thanks everyone!"

Manitoba took her hand and prepared to lead her away. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! You can perform it in front of me on stage!"

"I… I don't know," stuttered Svetlana.

"But it's my birthday," Manitoba pouted childishly. Svetlana blushed at how cute he sounded all of a sudden. Manitoba Smith does not do cute! Heck, he's one of the toughest and manliest personas in Mike's head!

"Okay, okay, Svetlana vill do it! Please stop acting like zis," Svetlana pleaded.

"I knew you'd come around, sheila! I'll see ya dingos later," Manitoba waved to the others and pulled Svetlana with him.

"See ya! Good luck, Svetlana!" Mike shouted.

Vito crossed his arms and groaned. "I expected a make out session or something exciting like that."

"Whatever. I'm glad the party's over. I'm taking a nap!" Chester yawned.

"Don't you want some cake?" Mike asked.

"You mean that revolting trash you call food? No dice!"

"But we put so much hard work and effort into it!" Mike whined.

"It doesn't look like it to me! I'm going to bed and I'm not hungry. See you whippersnappers later!" Chester shouted and left tiredly.

"Oh well, more for me! I'll save a couple of slices for Zoey and Cam tomorrow." Mike shrugged and gave himself another slice. Meanwhile, Mal and Vito exchanged devious looks.

"Care to slip some cake mix in gramps' drink," asked a mischievous Mal.

"With pleasure, me bro."

* * *

 **And that's sort of it! I have an epilogue coming so it's not completely over. Even I want to know how the performance will go… and when I can let you hear from that koala she made.**

 **Feel free to read and review. I'm out for now! It was great writing this and I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Not-So-Perfect Ending

**After a short hiatus, this brings us to the end of the story. This was fun to write! It really was. I felt a bit uneasy doing this chapter because I know absolutely nothing about gymnastics. Well I know a thing or two but that's about it. I know I didn't get many supporters, but they're enough to make me feel satisfied! After all, not many are fans of Svetoba. Anyways I'd like to thank AnimeToonz, OopsiDasi, LinkBetweenWorlds and Elizabeth Life Stone for supporting this short fic. You're amazing!**

 **As for Dork Squad, prepare to see Noah act a little... nuts. And it's all Courtney's fault! Or is it?**

 **Enough spoilers! I hope you all enjoy reading this! And thanks again for the support. This chapter will be a bit shorter than the others because what the heck. I feel sorry for what I'm about to do to Mike and yes… Vito is a pervert sometimes. He is a womanizer after all. Let's get this over with. XD**

* * *

Svetlana bent her knees and stretched her knuckles and back. Everything was set up. The balance beam was 20 feet long, longer than the usual balance beam, and it was raised 10 feet off the ground. It's not too high, but neither of them expected a soft landing.

"Are you sure about this, sheila?" Manitoba asked unsurely.

"Of course I am! Svetlana can do anything!" Svetlana assured him.

Luckily for her, Manitoba was the only one to watch her either succeed or fail. Unluckily for her, Manitoba was her crush. And watching him watching her is like seeing a hundred people (or personalities) watching her. She was that nervous. If she fails, she'll go with her second gift. Meanwhile, Manitoba kept on taking photos of the scenes with the new iPhone Chester lent him.

"Come on, sheila, you can do it! We've waited six years for this," cheered the survivalist Svetlana took a deep breath and exhaled. 'He's right.' She thought.

"Da! Zis is ze moment you've all been-" she paused knowing Manitoba was the only one watching. Crickets randomly chirped in the background. Confused, the explorer looked around to see if anyone was there. He looked back at her and shrugged.

"I mean, what _you_ and I have been waiting for: ze balance beam!" Svetlana performed two graceful dance moves and hopped onto the beam with a 180 degree split.

"Cooey! That's some skills you got there, sheila!" Manitoba complimented from the empty crowd. Or so they both thought it was empty. He's never seen her do something so graceful before! He can't believe she finally mastered it! And she only just started.

Svetlana giggled but she chose not to let Manitoba's flattery cause her downfall. She kept a try-hard face on and continued, giving a full turn on one foot, which was the second step. She tried her hardest to remember every step of the routine. This made her lose her balance. Manitoba stood up with face turning to panic. "Svetlana!"

"I'm fine!" Svetlana shouted, forcing Manitoba to sit back down. Holding her arms out for balance, the Russian Gymnast took a deep breath and glared at the end of the beam before her. "You can do zis, Svetlana. You're all grown up now," she said to herself. She felt pressure at her next move: performing a series of two acrobatic skills. It was easy, but she chose to make them challenging. Launching herself yet again, she did a backflip followed by a couple of air flares and landed on her hands. Manitoba was too astonished and amazed to take a photo. Goodness she's good.

"A backflip and an air flare!? I've never seen anyone do that on a beam before!" he said amazedly. Knowing she landed on her hands, Svetlana finished it off with a headspring and landed on her feet.

"Hoorah! Svetlana has done it!" she exclaimed. Manitoba stood and gave her a round of applause while pumping his fist in the air.

"Ace! Fair dinkum, sheila! You were amazing!" he cheered and stepped onto the stage.

"And now for ze final trick, a dismount!" she finished.

"Good on ya. Now come down here and give me a pash," he replied and went just below her.

"Vhat does zat mean?" she asked from above.

"You'll see what I mean when I catch you," he answered and winked at her.

"Oh." Svetlana jumped and prepared to do a dismount while thinking about what Manitoba had said. Then she had a guess at what he meant and turned red. "Wait, vhat!?" This caused her to lose focus and fall. It was a nightmare that came true, where she fell while doing a dismount.

"Aah!" she shrieked and fell.

"Oh shoot!" With celerity, he caught her in his arms.

"Gotcha!" She was lighter than expected. He gently put her down and sighed in relief. "Boy, that was a close one eh, shei- hey, are you okay?" he stopped and noticed her sudden gloom.

"Svetlana has failed you," she sniffed, her lips quivering.

"Failed? Don't be preposterous! What I saw out there was beyond amazing. How could you fail me?" he questioned her.

"I can do all those zings and I can't even perfect a dismount!" she whined. Before Manitoba could say anything, she interrupted him. "Zip it! We gymnasts take a lot of pride in our performances. I wanted to make mine perfect for you. And besides, it vas your fault!"

"My fault?" Manitoba snickered for some reason.

"Yes! You constantly flirting vith me. Hmph!" she crossed her arms and looked away glaring.

"Are you saying you find me just too tempting?" purred the Australian 'womanizer'.

Svetlana blushed madly and glared. "I do not! Now shtop vith ze flirting!"

"I certainly will not. Enough of that, you totally nailed the performance. I'm so proud of you!" Manitoba cheered and gave Svetlana a warm embrace.

"You know… I guess you're right." Svetlana blushed deeply and buried her face in Manitoba's embrace. Then she pushed him away. "But Svetlana did fail to do it completely so…" She stood up and walked past him.

"Oh come on. Where are you off to?" he asked hopelessly.

"I have to… fetch something." And with that, she ran. Concerned that she may be upset, Manitoba ran after her anyway. When he opened the door, he unwittingly slammed four familiar faces.

"Svetlana- Crikey! What are you dingoes doi- were you spying on us!?" Manitoba snapped.

"Well technically we were eavesdropping," corrected Vito.

"So… you had quite a show there huh bro?" he added. Mal snickered in agreement.

"I did but not the kind you would think, you pervs," sneered Manitoba.

"We saw Svetlana take off earlier. What happened?" Mike asked worriedly.

"Did she hiccup again?" asked an annoyed Mal.

"Did she fail?" Chester asked nonchalantly.

"She failed to top it off with a dismount but that's pretty much it," Manitoba answered. "Other than that, she was amazing! With the flips and the-oh, it's too epic to describe!"

"Wow… I wish I was there," Mike sighed.

"I wish I wasn't," Chester complained. "If that whippersnapper can't make it perfect, there's no point for me to watch it!"

"Psh, opinions. Speak of the Tassie Devil, I better go find her. I'll catch you kookaburras later." Manitoba turned to his heel and ran to Svetlana's room.

"I hate all this romance-y stuff," complained Chester. "Dang kids and their romance – with all the French kissing and… and holding hands… and writing poetry and whatnot. Back in my day, all them fancy couples would kiss and hold hands! It's that simple! Nobody thought it was cliché."

"Well this ain't exactly your day now is it, Chester?" Vito spat.

"Dagnabbit!"

"So you're saying you had a wife… Chester?" Vito asked yet again.

 **SMACK!**

"Ow!"

"I said if I had a wife then yes you salami head!" Chester snapped.

"I'm getting tired of all this lovey dovey stuff. I'm going to watch a horror movie," Mal yawned. "Annabelle anyone?"

"I'm with ya, bro! At least we don't have to worry about Svetlana's screaming and complaining," agreed Vito.

"I'm not sure about this…" said Mike. "That movie looked _really_ scary."

"If you're a baby, maybe," Mal taunted.

Mike glared at him slightly. "Not cool, dude. And I'm serious, the trailer alone gave me goosebumps!"

"It's either that or we'll steal your photos of Zoey," said Vito.

Mike gasped. "You wouldn't! Not that! Anything but that!" he begged.

"Good! Then it's settled," Vito replied.

"Annabelle it is." Mal shrugged and dragged a scared Mike with him and a smiling Vito.

"CHESTER! HELP! DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME!" screamed Mike.

"You kids go watch your dang movie! I'm taking a nap. Don't come running to me if you get scared, you sissy ninnies!" ignored Chester as he walked the opposite direction the other personas went.

"But I am a sissy ninny when it comes to watching horror movies!" Mike cried.

"Too late, brotha', he's gone!" Vito announced.

"No!" Mike screamed one last time.

Meanwhile, Svetlana went to her room and check the koala she hid from him. It was the last idea she had in mind in case she failed. She believed she failed to impress Manitoba. Before she could get up and give it, she sighed and remained sulked on the ground.

"Vhy can't I be perfect? Every Olympian perfected zis… and I haven't? Zis isn't who I am!" she squeezed the stuffed animal to her chest. "If I really love Manitoba, I should do everything perfectly for him."

"You _are_ perfect, sheila."

Svetlana turned around and shrieked. The gymnast hid the stuffed animal underneath the covers. "Vhat are you doing in Svetlana's room vithout her permission!? Get out!"

"Sorry, sheila, I will not! And you have to listen to me. I don't want you to make a big deal out of that one fault. If anything, I'm the one who made you fail!"

"Sorry, it's vhat Olympians do!" Svetlana argued. "Und you are right: It vas your fault!" She pouted angrily and turned away.

Manitoba was persistent. He walked closer to her and hugged her from behind, startling her. "I know and I'm sorry. I just don't want you to feel bad anymore, awright? It's my fault and I had to cheer you on because you were that amazing," he confessed softly.

Silence echoed in the room and Svetlana hasn't said a word, nor did she take a glance at him. The gymnast went completely red, and was speechless. She felt warm and protected in Manitoba's embrace.

"Come on, Svetlana," he whined. She felt him breathe down her neck and she shuddered nervously.

"Svetlana doesn't feel that bad. I just promised myself that…" she spoke.

Manitoba pulled himself away, much to Svetlana's disappointment, and backed up a bit. "What? I'm all ears." Then he caught sight of a koala's ear under the blanket. He could feel himself grinning.

"Hello, what's that under your covers, sheila?" he asked curiously and rhetorically. Svetlana blushed and turned around. "Vhere?" she asked.

"You know where, sheila," Manitoba answered cockily.

"It's um…"

"Come on, sheila, bark it out. Is that a koala under there?" he asked while wearing his signature smirk.

"No it's not!" Svetlana lied.

Manitoba sneered skeptically.

"Ok it is," she sighed in defeat and brought it out. "Svetlana… made it for you in case I failed to perform perfectly. Und she knows how much you miss being in Australia so she made zis for you," she confessed in her usual third person language and handed the stuffed toy to the Australian explorer.

Manitoba's eyes widened. She made that for him? "My golly, sheila, I… I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Svetlana replied warmly.

"Hm." Manitoba gave a warm smile at the koala. Then he placed it in his pocket and walked towards the Russian gymnast.

"So, did you have ze best birthday ever?" Svetlana asked curiously.

Manitoba thought for a moment. "Hmm… not yet."

"Vhat? Why?" she asked worriedly.

The survivalist rolled his eyes playfully and walked closer to her. "I dunno, sheila, you still owe me something else."

"I forgot something? Vhat is it?"

"This." He took her cheeks in his hands and brushed his lips against hers. Svetlana blushed madly and took a few moments to take it all in before returning the kiss. The two pulled each other close to cherish the sweet, sweet moment. It lasted for a few good minutes until they broke apart for air. "Now _that_ was the best birthday I ever had," he admitted.

Svetlana giggled and swatted his chest playfully. "Oh shut up."

"So, will you be the key to my survival, if you know what I mean?" Manitoba proposed and winked at her. He had a thing for playing jokes on people.

"Yes!" Svetlana giggled and pounced on him for a hug, causing Manitoba to say 'Whoa!' before nearly losing his balance.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"Non-taken." There was brief silence. "You wanna kiss me again?" Manitoba broke it.

"Vell," Svetlana mumbled and the two leaned in before—

 **BAM!**

The couple immediately backed away from each other disappointedly and turned to a panicked Mike. "Hey, I'm so sorry to interrupt you guys but I need a place to hide!" he cried.

"Vhat's wrong, Mike?" Svetlana asked worriedly.

"Vito... and Mal… are hunting me down to watch a horror movie I can't stand. You gotta hide me!" he begged.

"Under here, mate," Manitoba said and pulled up the sheets for Mike to hide.

"Oh thank you!" Mike hugged Manitoba before getting under the bed. In a nick of time, Vito and Mal barged into the room.

"Ey yo, have you two seen Mike?" Vito asked.

"That coward slipped through our fingers while watching a horror movie," Mal grumbled.

"Sorry, cobbers, he ain't here. Go search elsewhere," Manitoba answered.

"He passed by our room und went to your room, Vito," Svetlana lied.

"Why that little sneak!" Vito snapped.

"Urgh! Come on, Vito, let's go to your room," Mal growled frustratingly.

"Fine, but if you touch my hair spray, your dead!" they heard Vito warn before they exited the room. As soon as the room silenced, Mike pulled himself out of the bed.

"Are they gone?" he asked.

"I zink so," Svetlana thought.

"Phew! Thanks, you two! I owe you one," Mike praised.

"Aw, no worries, little roo. Now feel free to return the favor and go hide somewhere else. You ruined the moment there, mate!" Manitoba said frustratingly.

"O-oh I'm so sorry, dude! I'll just… yeah…" Mike said awkwardly and headed for the door. "Congratulations you two, and happy birthday once again, Manitoba!" he said one last time and headed out.

"There he is! Get him!" they heard Mal say. Mike screamed and ran off to who knows where while Mal and Vito continued to chase him.

"Crikey, that li'l dingo's in a heap of trouble," Manitoba muttered to himself. All of a sudden, he felt his own lasso cling onto him. "Whoa!" he exclaimed in surprise was pulled towards Svetlana, who had a devious smirk on her face.

"Sorry, did I surprise you?" she spoke and loosened the lasso from his body.

"The way you used it was surprising enough," Manitoba answered flirtatiously.

"I use ribbons vhen I dance. Zis lasso feels similar," Svetlana explained.

"Guess that's one thing we have in common," he commented and pulled her close. "Now where were we?"

"How could I forget?" Svetlana removed his fedora, confusing him. She brought it in front of their faces, facing the door. Getting the idea, Manitoba smirked. The two pulled each other in and kissed once more.

* * *

 **Dang it, Mike, you ruined the moment! It's Vito and Mal's faults anyway. And there you have it! This was unbearably cliché and I apologize for that. But I admire the fluff. Don't judge my knowledge on gymnastics because I know nothing about it. And at times like this, Google's my friend. I won't be making any Svetoba or Mike and his personalities stories in a while until the second season of Dork Squad is released. Until then, I hope you liked this story!**

 **I thank those who have reviewed, faved and followed this amazing fic, as well as teaching me bits and pieces of Australian culture. I'll be out in the meantime and some of my stories are and still remain on hiatus.**


End file.
